Art of controlling electrical switches operated by electromagnets.



Patented Aug. 5, I902.

F. BOURNE.

ART OF CONTROLLING ELECTRICAL SWITCHES OPERATED BY ELECTBOMAGNETS.

(A plication filed Nov. 8, 1901.;

(No Model.)

ad wewtor,

wane 00% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK BOURNE, OF MOUNT VERNON, NETV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO MOELROY- GRUNOW' ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF NETV JERSEY.

ART OF CONTROLLING ELECTRICAL SWITCHES OPERATED BY ELECTROMAGNETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 706,011, dated August 5, 1902.

Application filed November 8,1901. Serial No. 81,588. No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: of substantially the same proportions as the Beitknown that I, FRANK BOURNE,a citizen pole D, the disk portion of this armature beof the United States, residing at Mount Vering of substantially the same diameter as the non, county of Westchester, and State of New exterior pole C. G G represent non-magnetic York, have made anew and useful Invention supports, preferably Wood, and E a solenoid in the Art of Controlling Electrical Switches core,preferably slitted,as shown,and adapted Operated by Electromagnets, of whichthc folto receive adjustably the shouldered ends of lowing is a specification. said supports. This solenoid-core may be va- My invention has for its objects, first, to ried in length and thickness or solid, it preto provide a novel method of operation of such ferred, the essential feature being that when devices, whereby the circuit which the switch the circuit is closed the major portion of the controls will surely be opened when the concore shall be located above the median line trolling-circuit is broken; second, to provide 00 of the magnet, so as to exert a countera novel method of controlling the operation acting force against that of the armature 15 of such devices, whereby on closing the cirproper. I is a metallic band tightly secured 5 cuit to the controlling-magnet two independaround the upper end of the insulating-supent forces will be set up which act jointly port G and provided with a bindingpost .T, and tend strongly to close the working cirto which is secured a branch conductor TV, ouit, one of said forces acting ultimately to running to a working source of current-sup- 20 oppose the action of the other in such manply. (Not shown.) His a movable terminal ner that when the controlling-circuit is interor yielding contact-spring, made, preferably, rupted this tendency to oppose will cause the of laminated plates of copper and so arranged switch to surely effect the interruption of the that when the circuit is closed the upper or working circuit. These objects are accomfree endsthereof make good contact with a 25 plished in the use of the devices hereinafter fixed terminal, preferably a disk-like copper described, for a full and clear understanding plate P, secured directly to the under face of of the operation of which reference is had to the insulating-baseB. This copper plateP is the accompanying drawings and the followin turn connected to a binding-post 13 and to ing specification, the novel method of operaa branch conductor \V, running to the point 30 tion of said apparatus being claimed at the where the working currentis to be used. The end of the specification. armatureAis attached directly to the support The drawings, embracing Figures 1 and 2, G in any preferred manner, and the support are sectional views of modified forms of ap- G is adapted to move vertically through an paratus designed to practice the methods opening in the base B. In the construction 35 hereinafter claimed, parts of the structures of the apparatus the supports G and G are being shown in elevational View. inserted within the opposite ends of the Referring first to Fig. 1, B represents an slitted solenoid-core E, preferably to such insulating base or board, to which are secured points that when the switch is closed and the two downwardlydepending metallic arms F contact-springs H resting firmly against the 40 F, slotted at their lower ends, as shown at under face of the plate P the major portion S S, S C represents the exterior and D the of the solenoid-core will be located above the interior concentric poles of a magnet of the median line a; a; of the switclroperatiug 1nagbell type, between which poles is located the not and the armature out of contact with the energizing-coil M, connected at its opposite pole C, as clearly shown in both figures of the 4;", ends to binding-posts R15 10 10 being a condrawings. 5 ductor connecting the same with a source of Fig. 2 of the drawings illustrates a modicurrent-supply (not shown) and any preferred fied form of the invention, which differs from means for opening and closing the circuit that shown in Fig. 1 only in that instead of thereto. A represents the armature of the providing a disk armature A, I substitute 5o magnet, having an upwardly-extending pole therefor a bell-armature having concentric IOO poles O D, which are substantially similar in all respects to the corresponding parts C D.

In both figures of the drawings the concentric poles C D are adjustably suspended from the base B by arms F, slots S S being provided for screws 5 s s s, the arrangement being such that the entire switch-operating magnet may be adjusted as desired for the purpose of offecting the best results.

In the operation of both forms of the apparatus the circuit is closed first through the conductor 20 w. At this stage of the proceeding the armature and the solenoid-core E, together with their attached parts constituting the movable part of the switch, are in the lowest position, so that the contact-springs H are widely separated from the contactplate P. Consequently there is a double magnetic effect upon the movable part-that is to say, two magnetic forces are acting, one due to the action of the poles (l D and armature A, Fig. 1, or its equivalent concentric poles C D, Fig. 2, and the other to the split solenoid-core E, which is now in its lowest position, the tendency being at this time to draw the solenoid-core up toward the center of the magnet. As the movable part advances, therefore, there ultimately comes a time when the solenoid-oore assumes the position shown in both figures of the drawings, owing to the fact that the magnetic pull of the coil upon the armature is greater than that uponthe core, the pull upon the core being practically m'l when the median line thereof passes the median line of the magnet. Oonsequently the solenoid-core is advanced to the position shown and there results a counteracting force due to the action of the magnet upon it, so that now the two magnetic forces are acting in opposite directions and the switch is controlled by the resultant of these two forces. -When the circuit is interrupted through the conductor to w, the working circuit from the conductor WV will be surely interrupted as the air-gap between the armature and the magnet-poles is such that residual magnetism can produce no appreciable effect. If, however, there should still remain a small flow of current through the conductor w to, which would under normal conditions without core E hold the armature A in its upper position, it will be apparent that owing to the counteracting force of the core in my novel switch the circuit will be surely interrupted.

This novel apparatus is especially adapted for use in connection with electric railways where it may be used to effect the connection between the current-feeder or main and sec tional third rails or conductors now well known in the art and has an especial utility in this respect in that magnetic circuit-closers as now constructed and used may retain the circuit closed from the current-feeder or main after a car has passed over the sectional conductor either by leakage or residual magnetism, while with the apparatus herein described and by the practice of the methods hereinafter claimed I am enabled to overcome these objectionable features. Although my invention is especially applicable to this particular use, I desire it understood that my claims hereinafter made are to be construed of such scope as to include all uses in connection with electromagnetic circuit-closers to which the same may be applied. I make no claim hereinafter to the apparatus herein disclosed, as this application is directed distinctly to a method of operation and claims to the apparatus referred to constitute the subject-matter of a separate or divisional application filed by me in the United States Patent Office of even date herewith and bearing Serial No. 81,589, nor do I limit myself to the especial types of apparatus hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, for practicing the method of op eration attributable to such apparatus, the essence of my invention lying in the utilization of two magnetic forces acting upon independent magnetic masses, both operatively attached to the movable part of an electromagnetic switch and in such manner that when a current is caused to flow through the coils of the switch-operating magnet the two forces first act conjointly, tending to close the circuit, and ultimately oppose each other in such manner that the movable part of the switch is held, so to speak, in a balanced position, so that that force which tends to open the switch will perform that function when the current passing through the coil is relatively small as compared to the current which the switch is designed to control.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The described method of operating an elcctromagnetic switch, consisting in controlling the movements of the movable part thereof by two magnetic forces which act upon magnetically-independent magnetic masses carried by said' part and in such manner that when the circuit is first closed they act 0011- jointly and afterward oppose each other.

I11 testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' FRANK BOURNE.

\Vitnesses:

O. J. KINTNER, M. F. KEATING. 

